MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Macomb County nurse is facing multiple charges including murder. She's accused of defrauding a victim she was supposed to be caring for.
Fifty-two-year-old Linda Polk from Clinton Township was arraigned Thursday on eight felonies, including the first-degree murder of a 78-year-old man.
She is accused of fraudulently obtaining power of attorney over the victim to have him removed from life support. Then she allegedly took control of his home, embezzled money and had him cremated without alerting any of his family.
“Everybody is so upset — they’re floored,” one of Polk's neighbors Kathleen Michalak said.
Neighbors in the gated Clinton Township neighborhood witnessed law enforcement show up at a home on Tuesday.
“I look up and there was a silver SUV, all the doors open, four guys get out with vests on,” Michalak said.
Michalak saw the officers pull up around 11 a.m. and knew it wasn’t the first time they had been to the home.
“This is the second time in the last couple months that I've seen this," Michalak said. "Only this time, they did take Miss. Linda out in handcuffs.”
Polk had been under investigation by both Clinton Township police and the Macomb County Sheriff's Office for months. She was charged with three felonies for financial crimes in January, but what Michalak saw Wednesday was Polk being arrested for murder.
“I thought maybe there was some problem over a credit card because that's what she apparently told some other neighbors and that it was a total misunderstanding," Michalak said. "This time, it's murder one.”
The sheriff’s office says Polk, who worked as a nurse, provided in-home care to a couple in Macomb Township. The 78-year-old husband became ill in October and was hospitalized and put on life support. Polk is then accused of fraudulently gaining power of attorney to have him taken him off life support. After he died, she had him cremated without telling his family.
“I just thought it was fraud... But murder in the first degree? And not letting the family know before you cremate a body?" Michalak said. “If they can prove she did that, it’s just not right.”
After his death, Polk allegedly embezzled a large sum of the victim's money and authored a fraudulent quitclaim deed on his home. She also is accused of opening credit cards in his name and using them. Clinton Township police says she accumulated over $10,000 in charges using his name.
She’s now facing 11 felony charges between two separate cases. Polk was arraigned Thursday over Zoom by 41-B District Court on charges of:
- Count 1: Homicide – murder first degree – premeditated; a life without parole felony
- Count 2: Forgery of a document affecting real property; a 14-year felony
- Count 3: Forgery of a document affecting real property; a 14-year felony
- Count 4: Embezzlement – from a vulnerable adult - $1,000 or more but less than $20,000; a five-year felony
- Count 5: Identity theft; a five-year felony
- Count 6: Identity theft; a five-year felony
- Count 7: Financial transaction device illegal sale/use
- Count 8: Financial transaction device illegal sale/use
She was given a $1 million cash/surety bond and will be back in court on April 14.
